What's in a name?

According to newspapers, there have been two double homicides in Upper Marlboro in recent weeks. According to Stephen Sonnett, president of Upper Marlboro's Board of Commissioners, there were none.

Technically, they're both right. That ambiguity is raising objections from Sonnett and officials in other towns who say media accounts of crime, accidents, foreclosures and other tragedies mislead people into thinking their municipalities are more dangerous than they really are.

When reporters describe where an event happened, they usually go by ZIP code, said Jack Murphy, executive director of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, which provides resources to area media outlets. For Upper Marlboro, that is an area which extends roughly six miles north of the town to Central Avenue, near Bowie, and about six miles west to Andrews Air Force Base.

But the press and police reports usually refer to this area simply as "Upper Marlboro," even though the incorporated town is .5 square miles.

Sonnett said that practice gives the town a bad reputation that makes it harder to attract residents and retailers. The problem is worse during an economic recession, he said, and during a period when the town government is trying to work with county planners to implement a 2008 "Town Vision" plan that encourages marketing Upper Marlboro as a "quaint historic village with a strong reputation as a family-friendly community."

Murphy said media outlets often get such complaints, especially in Prince George's County, where there are many small municipalities. He said he understands local leaders' frustration, but said they might be exaggerating the problem.

"I think it's frustrating to local officials, but it doesn't matter much to residents," he said. "They want to know if there was a crime, not where it took place."

Murphy also said that when most residents read an article, they know from the street name where the event happened and whether it is near the town limits.

Upper Marlboro is not alone. In 2003, the Prince George's County Police Department stopped including the names of towns in its press releases after municipalities complained, said Officer Henry Tippett, a county police spokesman.

Media outlets objected, saying excluding town names made reporters' jobs harder. Additionally, the county was being unfairly blamed for crimes within town limits that are the responsibility of municipal police agencies, Tippett said.

"We don't want to have [people saying] every crime, it's Prince George's County's fault, like we're not patrolling like we should," Tippett said.

The police department went back to including town names in September 2008 after Acting Police Chief Roberto L. Hylton took over, Tippett said.

Sonnett said he has contacted reporters and asked them to refer to the area as "unincorporated Upper Marlboro," or to be more specific about where events occurred by identifying them by individual neighborhoods or housing developments.

Hyattsville City Councilwoman Krista Atteberry (D-Ward 3) said her city's elected officials have been calling media outlets as soon as they hear about crimes or accidents outside of the town's limits and asking them to specify that they took place in an unincorporated area.

Atteberry said the city has been trying to get the postal service to change the town's ZIP code to match its city limits, but has been unsuccessful.

Yvette Long, the postmaster for Upper Marlboro, said Upper Marlboro's town government has not asked her to change the ZIP codes, something she said is not the responsibility of her office.

John Moss, chief of police and acting town administrator for Bladensburg, said his town is also worried about media accounts.

"It sounds very trite on one side — Oh, these guys are complaining about a town name,'" Moss said. "But a town name is a moniker … Your name is what you trade on, it's partly what your economy is based on, it's your calling card."